Beach Interlude Part II: Secret Alliance
by Darth-Taisha
Summary: Continuation from Part I, Beach Interlude. Itachi aligns himself with Konoha to help bring his brother back to Konoha... Itahina/rewritten. Story is rated M for a reason, mature situations, language, violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Beach Interlude Part II: Secret Alliance**

**Chapter 1**

**(Repost)**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, I am just borrowing some of the characters for a while.

**Summary: **I have made all of the Konoha 12 a year older than in the manga, so Hinata is 18, Itachi is 23. To recap part one…coming back from a mission, dangerously low on chakra and ill, Itachi comes across Hinata alone at her family's beach house. After being healed of his illness by Sakura and Hinata, Itachi forms an alliance with Konoha to help bring Sasuke home…

The afternoon sun was high in the sky and shining through the small window in the small sitting-room off of the library where they had placed her a few hours earlier when Hinata had begun to wake up. As she opened her eyes a quick glance around the small room told her she was all alone.

Sitting up, she placed her face in her hands and groaned miserably as the realization hit her that she had fainted – something she hadn't done in years. And she did it in front of the Hokage and everyone.

Suddenly it hit her why she had fainted and it almost made her do it again – _he wants to marry me! _

_Oh Itachi!_

A rosy blush surged over her face as she hugged herself with joy. She had been completely surprised when he had asked her to marry him. Not only that, but to have him do it in front of everyone at the meeting had thrown her for a loop. During their time together he had never once indicated he was leaning in that direction.

In the back of her mind she had always thought that if it was going to happen most likely he would have waited until everything was over and he was back safe in the village before asking her.

Her elation began to subside as she looked around and noticed she was all alone and she began to wonder why no one woke her up earlier. Glancing outside, she could tell that it was afternoon time and the meeting had taken place in the morning.

A small kernel of unease entered her mind as she began to realize that either the Hokage had denied his request or he had changed his mind otherwise someone would have woken her up to perform the ceremony.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and it only took a moment to locate everyone as she saw most of the group was hanging out in the back yard. And looking more closely she could tell by their chakra, Itachi was talking to Shikamaru by the pool.

A sigh of relief escaped her as it appeared that at least the meeting had went well, but regarding the question he had asked her she felt completely in the dark.

Determined not to dwell on it any longer, she pushed down any remaining feelings of unease within her and knew she would find out what was going on soon enough. Standing up, she hastily straightened her clothing before opening the door and heading out to join the others around the pool.

* * *

Handing a large envelope of information about Akatsuki to Shikamaru, Itachi was finding the more he spoke to him the more impressed he was with the ninja in front of him. The reports he had of the Nara's intellect did not even begin to do him justice.

Shikamaru yawned and lounged back in his chair before taking a long sip of his drink in front of him. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to take a long nap.

Itachi bit back a smirk and silently applauded his acting abilities, but was not fooled for a moment by his apathetic appearance and knew his every word and gesture was being carefully analyzed by the other as he spoke to him. Their conversation so far had been almost like a mental game of shogi and it intrigued him.

He decided to open things up between them, "Tell me Shikamaru, what have you concluded about me so far?"

A small glimmer of surprised respect lighted in the younger ninja's eyes as rarely does anyone catch on to what he is doing. He realized without a doubt the ninja in front of him was the real deal, undoubtedly a genius.

Shikamaru shrugged, "Not much, probably only what you have wanted me to see."

"Which is…?" Itachi prodded.

The lazy eyes became sharp as Shikamaru smirked, "Your record of espionage and loyalty to the village appears to be genuine and the proof is right before me," he said as he laid his hands on the folder of information about Akatsuki.

As though sensing her presence, Itachi turned toward Hinata as she stood in the doorway. A slow tiny smile tugged at his mouth as his eyes beckoned her over to him.

"You can tell the Hokage I will not betray her trust," he murmured to Shikamaru while his eyes lingered on Hinata as she made her way over to him.

As Hinata walked toward him, her heart began to swell and race at the warmly amused look she saw in his eyes, yet also contained within them was something that told her he had missed her and it made her want to run and launch herself into his arms.

Quelling the urge to do so, she focused on walking sedately until she was right next to him. Warmth began to suffuse all through her when she felt his arm automatically slip around her waist.

"Did you enjoy your rest?" He asked her with a teasing light in his eyes.

Hinata shot him a rueful look at his play on words as resting and fainting were entirely two separate things. She sent him a lightly accusing look telling him he should not have sprung that question on her without some sort of warning.

Her breath caught in her throat as his hand momentarily tightened around her waist.

"I'm sorry," he whispered with a solemn look in his eyes.

Hinata felt a lump form in her throat as she didn't think he had anything to apologize for, she had thought it was sweet and it had made her feel incredibly wanted by him that he didn't want to wait to be married.

"It's alright…" she started to say before Nana came behind her and pulled her away from Itachi. Over her shoulder, Hinata shot a laughingly apologetic look toward Itachi.

"Come Hina-chan, I have a surprise for you," Nana told her with a large grin as she began leading her toward the stairs.

Shikamaru had watched their interaction closely and it gave him even more reason to believe that the Uchiha was sincere in his offer to help retrieve his brother from Orochimaru. After all, the way he looked at Hinata just wasn't something that could be faked, no matter how good he was at disguising his feelings.

Itachi turned back to Shikamaru and as though his interaction with Hinata had never happened, his face became intensely serious as he immediately began discussing his brother.

"I have had spies keeping an eye on my brother for some time now. I have recently been told he has surrounded himself with a bunch of Orochimaru's rejects. I have provided as much information as I have on each one of their abilities. However, the team-mate that concerns me the most is a Kunoichi named Karin; she has the ability to sense chakra. If you get too close to Sasuke she will be able to alert him to your presence."

Shikamaru nodded lazily, "That is good to know, yeah, she does sound annoying."

Itachi began to outline his concerns about the security of Konoha and told how ridiculously easy it was to breach it the last time he went there. As Shikamaru listened out of the corner of his eyes he saw the Hokage slip out of the pool. He immediately became suspicious as he saw the way she had been talking to Itachi's grandmother earlier, he had a feeling they were up to something.

_Oh man, what a pain,_ he complained mentally and knew his plans for taking a nap before they headed home were just not going to happen.

As though he had been paying attention to Itachi all along he looked at him, "I agree with you regarding the security of the village and I will discuss your concerns with the Hokage."

Itachi nodded then glanced subtly in the direction of the fleeing Hokage before telling him in a low voice, "underneath the waterfall is a secret passage into town, I have no doubt that her and Nana will be using it very soon."

Shikamaru groaned under his breath and his eyes took in how Sakura was already missing and Naruto had fallen asleep in the hot-tub. He knew it was going to be up to him to keep an eye on her.

He stood up and went to find Sakura, when Itachi stopped him, "Shikamaru, remember to disguise yourself, we do not want anyone to know about our meeting here."

He nodded before leaving the room and went to look for Sakura.

Itachi glanced over and saw Naruto was snoring as his head was tipped back as he slept in the hot-tub. Deciding not to disturb him, Itachi headed inside to go take a shower.

* * *

A few minutes later, disguised as young twentyish women in tight clothing, Tsunade and Nana giggled as they slipped past Naruto toward the waterfall…

Just before she opened the door with a key hidden in a rock, Nana turned to Tsunade with a worried look on her face.

"I just thought of something – what if they think you have been kidnapped or something?"

Tsunade waved a nonchalant hand, "I've got it covered, I left a note on the table telling them (Shikamaru mainly) not to worry about me and I will be back before midnight."

Nana let out a slightly intoxicated giggle, "Oh good thinking, we are going to have soo much fun!"

Tsunade tugged at her too tight blue spandex dress she was in. "So, where to first?"

"Oh, I was thinking about checking out the male strippers first and then we could go ride the mechanical bull over at Sake Haven."

As she closed the door behind her and started walking down the tunnel, Tsunade's eyes began to light with excitement, ever since she had taken over the job as Hokage, nights like this have been so rare they might as well have been non-existent.

She decided she was going to have fun and she was going to gamble. Then she was going get drunk and get laid, or maybe not in that order but she was determined to do all of it.

"What about gambling, I brought some money with me."

Nana's eyes widened in alarm and her lips tightened as she shook her head emphatically, "No way, Tsunade – I remember what happened last time I gambled with you. You lost all of your money and then you borrowed from me and lost all of mine as well."

Tsunade pouted, "You are no fun, besides that was a long time ago my friend, I have much more control now."

Nana looked resolute, "Nope, I am not gambling with you, besides there are tons of clubs for us to go to, we just won't have time to gamble."

"You're probably right," Tsunade said docilely enough as she followed after her friend, but the look in her eyes would have scared the shit out of her had Nana had she seen it…

About ten minutes later, Shikamaru and Sakura went out on the back porch and saw Naruto was still sleeping.

_Idiot_, Sakura complained and felt like smacking him for no good reason.

"Naruto!" She yelled. "Get up!"

Naruto shot out of the pool with fear-filled eyes before he glared at her. "What'd you do that for?"

"The Hokage took off and went into town," Shikamaru told him as he held up the note she had left them.

"Yeah and you let her," Sakura complained as she folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.

"Hey! How was I supposed to know?" Naruto whined while Sakura contained the urge to hurt him.

Shikamaru placed a calming hand over her clench fist. "Sakura, we are wasting time," he reminded her as he looked toward the waterfall.

Naruto was going to follow them, but Sakura stopped him. "You need to stay here in case she comes back and let her know where we went."

Hating to be left out of anything, Naruto grumbled before toweling himself off and heading into the kitchen to find some leftovers.

Sakura followed Shikamaru to the door under the waterfall and watched as he found the key and opened it. They walked for a long time through a narrow tunnel before they came to a small house. Opening the door slowly they went inside and glancing around they could tell Nana sometimes lived there.

Before they went out the front door, Shikamaru looked at her. "Alright we need to split up. Most likely they will be wearing a disguise, you will need one too. We do not want anyone to recognize us as Leaf ninjas."

Sakura nodded and did a henge, changing herself to someone with long black hair and blue eyes.

"Fine, I will meet you back here around midnight," she told him before she took off down the street. Looking around she saw a few bars across the street she decided to check them out to see if she could spot them.

The first bar she walked into was definitely not the place.

It had all guys in it and when she walked through the door they all turned to stare at her. In the corner she saw two guys were tonguing each other and she quickly turned away and walked out.

She went to several more bars and had a few drinks as she waited for them to show up but they were dead ends too.

The next bar Sakura entered was very dark and had a female lounge singer up on the stage. Flopping down at a table she was a little discouraged that she hadn't found them yet. As she listened to the lounge singer she ordered a drink and planned out where she would go next.

A few minutes later her waiter brought her drink out and she paid him before putting her wallet back inside her dress. A frown slipped over her face as she sensed a familiar chakra. Her heart began to race wildly as it was one she hadn't been around in a very long time.

_It couldn't be?_…she thought as her eyes glanced toward the area of the room she sensed it the strongest. Her eyes widened when she saw he wasn't there any longer.

_Sasuke!_

Her eyes darted around the room and she began to get up slowly hoping to slip away without him noticing her chakra when a hand closed over her wrist. Gasping, she looked straight into his intense onyx eyes.

"Long time no see – Sakura," he said with a smirk before he pulled her back into her seat and sat down next to her...

* * *

**Author's Note: **I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get this first chapter out. I have been a little obsessed with a few of my other stories and have not been able to write for this one. I will try to get another chapter out soon. I want to thank Narutonarutolove and Zelga Lim Li for bugging me to update this story…this update is for you guys:) I hope you like it. Just so you all know the old story had a lot of Sakura in it. I plan to write out a lot of the scenes with her in it. She is still part of the story but because everyone hates her so much (myself included) I decided to limit her role as much as possible.

**Manga Spoiler Alert:** (Chapter 514) Okay I still thought it was stupid and the fighting between Tsuchikage and Deidara was sort of anti-climactic and then Yamato got himself captured and now he has to deal with Madara. Madara has both the Rinnegan and the Sharingan so he will be able to get info out him pretty easily. (Yawn) Naruto and killer Bee will have to get off the floating turtle island soon and Naruto will have to stop his (pathetic cough/cough) mission to explore the island's ecological flora and fauna. I can only say I was disappointed with the chapter and hope they move onto something else soon…


	2. Chapter 2

**Beach Interlude Part II**

**~Chapter 2~**

**(Repost)**

* * *

Sakura's heart stopped beating when she heard his voice and the deceptively gentle grip on her wrist told her she wasn't going to be allowed to escape. She took a shallow breath as she realized she had no choice but to accept the inevitable and talk to him.

"Hello Sasuke."

He didn't respond to her greeting instead he just looked down at the table with a weary sigh as though he was trying to figure out what to do with her now that he had her.

Sakura's eyes darkened with worry as they drifted over him and she took in all of the changes to her team-mate over the years. His aura seemed a lot darker and angrier and his eyes as they stared out across the room seemed impossibly jaded like he was sick and tired of everyone and everything.

She could no longer deny he had changed and in a lot of ways not for the better. After their last meeting where he had almost killed her and Naruto, she realized she he was not the team-mate she used to know and she was possibly in a very precarious situation.

Yet, part of her refused to believe the evidence before her. Because it was Sasuke, someone she adored. Before she moved to attack him or take any action she had to know for certain if there was anything decent left within him of the team-mate she used to know.

"Sasuke, I have been worried about you – how are you?"

Not in the mood for small talk, he continued to ignore her and released her wrist which she automatically rubbed with her other hand. When she looked over at him she saw he was staring at her with a contemplative look.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?"

_Oh shit_, she worried anxiously knowing that lying to him would be impossible; her eyes grew wary as she turned away from him and knew if he really wanted to get information from her he probably could with his Sharingan.

"I'm travelling back to Konoha from a mission and I cannot tell you anymore than that," she responded quietly and hoped he didn't press her for more information.

She was surprised when he conceded to her unspoken wish and she noticed he appeared to be upset and distracted by something. Her eyes darted from the door and back to him and waited for an opportunity to escape. In her seat she inched closer toward the edge of it.

_Damn it!_ He yelled in his mind as he could have sworn he felt his brother's presence just a moment ago before it suddenly just vanished.

Sasuke shook his head in disgust as he was beginning to think he was losing his mind and turned his attention back to Sakura as he considered what to do with her. He couldn't kill her but he couldn't just let her go either, his mind was for once unusually teeming with conflict.

He decided a small amount of honesty would probably work best in this situation. He knew she could be dangerous if riled and he did not want to cause any commotion that could alert his brother or anyone else to his presence here.

"Sakura, I'm not going to hurt you. I am just looking for someone."

Her eyes flew to his when she realized he was looking for Itachi.

"Are you going to kill him?" She asked a little worried and then could have kicked herself for her slip up.

As she turned away from him Sasuke's eyes grew hard and a smirk formed on his face as his suspicions began to rise.

"Yes, it sounds like you are worried about him?"

It took everything Sakura had to contain her racing heart as she felt his eyes on her but she did it. She had to keep Sasuke from learning the truth about his brother, it would ruin everything.

"I am not worried about him, but you, I don't want you to get hurt."

"Of course," Sasuke responded sarcastically. "You are so predictable, Sakura."

A hard smile slid over his face as he hooked his finger under her chin and forced her to stare back at him.

Her eyes locked with his and she felt herself fall under his spell all over again. Even though every instinct within her was telling her to be careful she allowed herself to lean toward him and felt his lips move lightly over hers.

They broke apart after a few moments and their eyes met in shock.

Sasuke turned away with self disgust and wondered what in the hell he was doing wasting his time with her when he should be out looking for his brother.

Sakura felt like she was in a daze as she relived the feel of his lips moving over hers. She gasped when she felt him clamp his hand around her wrist and pull her to the side of the bar where it was very dark and there were no people around.

However, she didn't have time to think about anything as she felt his arms come around her and drag her almost roughly against him as he buried his hands in her hair and kissed her hard.

"Sasuke," She whispered breathlessly as she pressed herself into him and kissed him back as desire flared hotly between them.

"Sakura, will you come with me to my room?" He asked in a low flat voice after he pulled away from her, intense passion blazed from his eyes as he stared down at her.

Her green eyes searched his as she stared back at him and knew he was giving her a chance to leave if she wanted to. It was now or never. In that moment she forgot she was a ninja and the only thing that mattered was him. In her heart there was never any question what she would do if he ever wanted to be with her, so her answer was given without any hesitation whatsoever.

"Yes, I want to go with you."

He leaned down and kissed her softly, almost gently this time.

"We will probably regret this in the morning," he muttered darkly before taking her hand and leading her out the back door towards his hotel.

As she walked beside him, Sakura was about as far as you can be from regretting something as she silently thanked Kami for giving her the opportunity of a lifetime.

oooOOOooo

Shikamaru walked around the town going into all of the bars with no success. He was just about to give up and go wait back at the house when he entered a club that had a band onstage playing live music. Searching around the room he breathed out in relief when he spotted two young women about the age of twenty.

One of the women was blonde and looked a little like Ino and the other had long black hair. And they were both smoking hot and appeared to be deeply in the throes of partying and having a good time. He could sense their chakra a little and had no doubt it was them.

_Oh geez, how pathetic, _he mentally complained as he watched how Tsunade was dancing with a young guy just a few years older than he was and Nana was doing the same. Shikamaru could tell they were both wasted.

He looked at his watch and seriously doubted they would be going anywhere tonight. It was already 11:30 and he hadn't run into Sakura yet.

"I hope she is alright," he worried out loud to himself and plopped down on one of the barstools.

oooOOOooo

Looking at her watch over Sasuke's head Sakura's eyes grew alarmed when she saw it was getting late. And even though she didn't want to, she would have to leave soon if she was going to meet up with Shikamaru on time.

Sasuke still lay on top of her and his spiky long hair was mussed. Her green eyes drifted over his face delighting in the proximity of it so close to hers. In the pale moonlight his face was hauntingly beautiful with his eyes closed as he was half asleep. She had longed for most of her life to have him all to herself like this and hated that the time she was going to have with him was so short.

Releasing a reluctant sigh, Sakura tried to quietly shift out from under him when his hand grabbed her arm.

"Stay with me."

Looking into his dark eyes she couldn't tell if he asked or told her.

Oh god, she didn't want to leave. Every fiber in her body desperately wanted to stay with him. Sasuke began to lower his mouth toward hers and all thoughts of leaving instantly fled from her mind…

Sakura woke up a few hours later when she felt him on top of her pushing himself into her.

_Hmm, not a bad way to be woken up, s_he thought as she matched his rhythm and closed her eyes. When they were done she could tell by the moonlight coming through the window it would be morning in a few hours.

"Sasuke, I have to go," Sakura murmured said softly in between kisses.

"I know."

Sitting up on the edge of the bed, she looked around for her clothes, which were scattered everywhere.

"Sakura, don't tell anyone you saw me. If I ever come back to the village, it will be on my terms," he told her before vanishing right before her eyes.

"Goodbye Sakura," she heard his voice tell her as the smoke cleared away.

"Goodbye Sasuke," she whispered before she quickly pulled on her clothes and ran out of his room.

Twenty minutes later, Sakura was still in a state of elated shock when she found Nana's house that would take them to the tunnel. When she opened the door she found Shikamaru waiting for her. He looked at her swollen lips and messy hair and knew exactly where she had been.

"I take it you must have found Sasuke," he said knowingly.

Feeling slightly like a whore, Sakura looked everywhere but at him.

"I saw him earlier without his team around him and I took off. I didn't want him to spot me," he explained in a bored voice because he personally didn't care who she slept with as long as she fulfilled her duties as a ninja.

"Shikamaru, please don't tell anyone, no one needs to know about this," she pleaded with him.

"I won't, come on let's get back to the house."

She started to follow him when she remembered Lady Tsunade. "Shikamaru where is the Hokage?"

Their eyes both opened wide at the same time when they heard the door to the house open behind them. Shikamaru and Sakura shared an amused look when Tsunade and Nana in all their transformed, hottie glory limped through the doorway in high heels.

"Sakura! Shikamaru! What are you doing here?" The Hokage asked them in a slightly tipsy voice.

Sakura wisely kept silent and let Shikamaru do all the talking.

"We have been keeping an eye out for you."

Tsunade couldn't stop the stain of red from covering her cheeks as she remembered some of the things she had done over the course of the evening, especially when she had ridden that mechanical bull and taken off her dress. _Oh fuck!_

_Damn that Shikamaru for being so observant, he probably saw everything, _the Hokage griped mentally before performing the jutsu to transform herself back to normal.

After she was back to herself, her mascara smudged eyes drifted over Sakura and she did a double take when she got a good look at her. A slow knowing smirk spread over her face when she saw her apprentice's face grow warm and knew Sakura had been a very naughty girl.

The Hokage stood up tall despite her massive hangover and gave the two of them a severe look, "Tonight and this mission never happened, got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Sakura said with a small sigh of relief.

Shikamaru bit back a smirk, "Got it."

Lady Tsunade looked at both of them and saw that they understood very well, nodded towards them. "Good, now let's go back to Nana's house and get ready to go home."

Naruto was sleeping soundly in a chair when they entered the house. At the sound of the door closing behind them he Jumped out of the chair and onto his feet and looked at all of them with exasperated eyes. "Where the hell have you all been? I thought we were supposed to leave around midnight?"

Tsunade winced as his loud voice grated on her ears. "Naruto - shut up!" She said in a low and menacing voice.

_Woah_, Naruto thought as be backed cautiously away from her. Raising his eyebrows slightly he decided now would not be a good time to argue with her.

Naruto's blue eyes shifted over to Sakura and he frowned at what he saw. Something was wrong with her and she appeared to be in a daze. Her hair was a mess and her mouth was all swollen.

"Sakura, are you okay?" He asked her after she stood up from the chair she had been in and headed toward the staircase.

"I'm fine," she said a little irritably as she began to walk upstairs.

Naruto followed her and his voice was rough with emotion as he figured out what she had been doing. "Who were you with?"

She turned to look at him with sad but wary eyes, "I can't tell you Naruto - I'm sorry."

"It was Sasuke, wasn't it?" He looked up at her shrewdly.

"I won't tell you Naruto - so just drop it. It's over between us."

He looked away from her with pain in his eyes, "I know Sakura, I just don't want you to get hurt."

She stepped down the stairs and hugged him. "I am sorry Naruto, I do love you - just not the way you want me to."

He hugged her back before releasing her. "I will always be there for you if you need me Sakura," he promised and tried to mask the pain behind his blue eyes.

Seeing it clearly Sakura was touched by how much he cared about her, she placed her hands around his face and brushed a light kiss over his mouth with hers. "Thank you Naruto, you are a good friend."

Naruto watched her in silence as she descended the stairs to go take a shower…and sighed.

Shikamaru put his plate in the sink and headed upstairs and muttered out loud with every step he took. "Am I the only sane one around here or what?"

_These people are so troublesome_.

Irritated as he was, he couldn't stop himself from smiling at the thought the Hokage dirty dancing with a couple of young guys. He had so much dirt on her, but he would never tell. Too bad, he could just picture the look on Ino and Choji's face as he told them some of the things he saw her do. He shook his head as he looked over at her and Nana and walked out of the room to gather his gear.

A couple hours later Tsunade hugged her friend. "Thanks Nana, that was the best time I have had in a long time."

"Me too." Nana responded with a choked laugh before her eyes grew serious, "Tsunade, please watch over my grandsons."

"I will Nana, if your position here becomes compromised, let me know and I will send ANBU to protect you."

Nana hugged her. "Thank you Tsunade. I will come back to Konoha with Itachi and Sasuke because I have a feeling they are both going to need me," she said softly.

"I look forward to it my friend," Tsunade said with a fond smile as she picked up her pack.

Nana went with them into the elevator and opened the door to the outside. She signaled to Kuroy who flew over to her. "Kuroy keep watch over them and alert Tsunade if anyone is in the area. We don't want anyone to see them," she directed him.

"Okay Nana, will you make us something for breakfast when we come back?" Kuroy asked her hopefully.

"Of course," she grinned in amusement as she watched him fly away. A few minutes later he gave her the signal.

"Tsunade, it is all clear. Be safe everyone. Itachi will contact you through Hinata. If I hear anything, I will also contact you."

"Okay, thanks Nana," the Hokage said before leaving through the back door.

**Author's Note:** The next chapter is Itachi and Hinata's date. I sincerely apologize for making you all wait for this chapter. It was a difficult one for me to write and will probably be for you to read as well (LOL). Sakura is just such a shitty character and anytime I have to write about her I usually end up with writer's block. Anyway, my schedule has improved so I should be able to post more often. Thanks to Iampiglet and friends and so many others for pushing me to update!


	3. Chapter 3

**Beach Interlude Part II**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

**[Same timeline as Chapter 2, only from Hinata and Itachi's POV]**

Ambling through the picturesque resort town in with their appearances disguised, they were sightseeing and heading slowly toward a restaurant when Itachi started to sense the presence of his brother. He stopped walking and stood still for a minute with a pensive look on his face.

Hinata looked up at him puzzled, "Itachi? What is it?"

His eyes narrowed as he searched the area. "My brother is here, I can feel him. We will have to be on our guard because I am not prepared to fight him."

He pulled her into the darkened alley. "Hinata I need you to drop your disguise and use your Byakugan."

She nodded and formed a hand-sign, "Byakugan." She scanned around and noticed by their chakra there were quite a few ninjas in the town. Hinata grinned when she spotted the Hokage sitting at a bar with a bunch of men around her.

Her eyes finally located Sasuke's chakra. She looked at him for a long time and noticed his chakra was very strange. "Itachi I found him, he is a few blocks south of us." Her eyes were troubled as she whispered to him. "I think the reports of him absorbing Orochimaru are true. His chakra is very strange."

Itachi took a deep breath as he thought about that snake corrupting his brother, _I am going to seal that bastard Orochimaru for good when I get the chance._ He looked down at Hinata and forced himself to calm down. "Come on, our restaurant is away from him. We will just have to be careful he doesn't find us."

Hinata nodded and changed her appearance again so she had black hair and blue eyes.

She was about to walk away when she noticed something in the alley and saw Master Jiraiya was peeping through hole in a fence. She nudged Itachi and pointed to him. Hinata covered her mouth so that her laugh wouldn't alert him. Itachi rolled his eyes. _No wonder Naruto calls him Pervy-sage, _he thought disgustedly.

Taking Hinata by the hand he determined to not allow anyone or anything get in the way of his date with Hinata. He wanted everything to be perfect, after the way he had treated her earlier, he owed it to her.

The restaurant was a cozy, intimate place with small booths and red candles on the tables for light. Hinata looked at him with a delighted smile on her face. "Your choice couldn't have been more perfect."

Sitting down in the booth across from her, he slid his foot so it would be touching hers as he picked up her hand. She blushed when he touched her. The waiter was an old man who smiled at the couple as he handed them their menus and poured them some water.

Itachi looked at the waiter. "I would like you to bring us some champagne to begin with."

Hinata smiled in anticipation. "I love champagne; I have had it a few times during special occasions with my family."

As she perused her menu she looked over and asked, "Itachi have you been here before?"

He shook his head no, "Nana recommended this place to me." He certainly would have never brought Kisame here with Samehada, they would have probably destroyed the place just by walking through the door.

His eyes scanned around the romantic décor with the soft candle light coming from the tables and noted, "this place is for lovers."

Hinata blushed and was surprised by his observation; her eyes were warm as she agreed in a soft voice, "Yes, it is"

They stared at each other until the waiter came and broke the mood. He poured their glasses of champagne and set them on the table along with the bottle. After he took their orders he left them alone again.

She rubbed the top of his hand gently with her thumb and strangely felt a little shy around him.

"So, what would you like to do after dinner?" He asked her.

She blushed and looked down at their hands, feeling a bit uncomfortable as this was the first time she had ever been on a date. "Um, anything is fine as long as I am with you."

They engaged in small talk until a short time later the waiter brought their food out to them and set it down on the table. Itachi had ordered the clams with linguine noodles while Hinata had ordered the swordfish with rice and vegetables.

Hinata took a bite of her food and found it was very delicious. "Thank you for bringing me here, it has been a long time since I have eaten out at a nice restaurant."

As his eyes watched her face as she enjoyed her meal he silently thanked Nana for her excellent taste. "I am glad you like it," he replied softly with a warm look in his eyes.

Itachi filled their glasses with more champagne. As he sat back in his seat and had his fingers resting around the delicate glass of bubbling liquid in his hand he considered the possibility that the Hokage was right and they should wait until he returned to the village before they became engaged or married.

Besides he didn't not want to put Hinata in any danger by linking her name to his, in the eyes of the world he was still a criminal and probably always would be.

His eyes were a little pensive as he pulled ring out of his pocket and kept it hidden in his hand. He lifted his dark eyes toward hers and watched the predictable blush slide over her face.

He picked up her hand while his eyes stayed firmly on hers. "I am sorry for my mistake earlier, I should have discussed it with you before asking the Hokage in front of everyone."

Hinata blushed an even deeper color and shook her head, "I didn't mind, in fact…it made me very happy." Though she was smiling at him, there was a quietly hopeful look in her eyes that wanted him to ask her again.

Itachi drifted his eyes away from her face and a slight muscle jumped along his jawline. He knew he was going to disappoint her, but he had no choice, waiting until he returned to the village was the right thing to do.

He calmly reached out and handed the ring to her, his eyes were serious and apologetic as he said, "I want you to hold this for me as a promise for after I return to the village. After everything is settled, I will personally go speak to your father."

Hinata looked at him and then down at the ring and felt some of her elation begin to slip a little. She wanted nothing more than to marry him, now if possible, but she understood all of the reasons why they should wait.

"I understand, Itachi," she responded with firm eyes, and tried her best to hide her disappointment. However, she didn't need to a force a smile to her lips as her eyes ran over the ring in her hand. I was exceptionally lovely, it was gold with a large diamond in the middle and it was surrounded by rubies.

"It is lovely, Itachi. I promise you I will always cherish it," Hinata said softly as she took off the necklace she was wearing around her neck and slid the ring onto it and put it back around her neck.

Itachi's eyes slid from the necklace to her face in approval, he hoped the day would come where he would be able to slip it on her finger. He picked up her hand and lightly kissed it, "It belonged to my mother, Nana has been holding it for you all these years. I think she always hoped we would get together someday."

A frown came over his face as he sensed his brother's chakra outside the restaurant.

"Hinata, Sasuke is out front of the restaurant. Kiss me, I am going to mask our chakra as much as I can. Hinata pushed him back in the booth against the side wall and covered him with her body. She started kissing him while he masked their chakra, while her long hair surrounded them.

Sasuke looked angrily inside as he stepped through the door. _He has to be around here somewhere, I sensed his presence a minute ago. _His eyes scanned around the restaurant and noticed it was all couples, and he noticed the intimate atmosphere of the place. He grimaced when he saw one couple making out in the corner of a booth. _Hn, get a room already losers, h_e thought disgustedly.

_Itachi couldn't be in here… my creepy brother would never come to a place like this, _he shook his head in frustration as he left the restaurant.

Hinata was relieved when she saw Sasuke leave, she didn't want to see them end up fighting. Itachi was still recovering from his surgery. She put her hand on his arm, "Let's go walk around the town."

"Alright," he said after he stood up. They went to find their waiter to pay their bill and then left.

As they were leaving he asked her, "Do you like to gamble?"

Hinata frowned slightly, knowing her father would never approve of her doing something so frivolous as gambling. "I've never done it before," she answered softly.

* * *

After going to a couple of casinos around town, Itachi determined she had some of the worse luck he had ever witnessed. He watched as she put some more money in the slot machine. It just missed again. He watched her face grow sad as she handed him some money, "Okay, your turn, I thought I would have beginner's luck, but I guess not," she said softly with a small laugh.

He put some money in the machine and played it a few times before it paid out big.

Her face glowed with happiness as she looked up at him. "I guess you are the lucky one."

His eyes skimmed over her face and for once he had to agree with her. After they went to the cashier and turned all of the coins into ryo he placed his hand under her elbow and directed her toward the door, "Come on, I have one more place I want to take you, before we go back to our hotel."

She felt her pulse race as she heard his words in anticipation, it didn't matter where they went, just being with him was fun and she meant to enjoy their time together.

He took her a few blocks away to a lounge. It was dark inside with modern décor and lighting. He pulled out a chair for her at a table and sat next to her. A waitress came and took their orders for drinks. Hinata ordered a frozen drink with peaches and vodka in it. Itachi ordered sake.

The atmosphere was nice as they listened to the female lounge singer as they waited for their drinks. Hinata just looked around and tried to absorb everything about the evening as though she was trying to crystallize the moment in every detail so she wouldn't forget.

A few moments later the waitress brought them their drinks and they sipped on them. Itachi put his hand on the small part of her back and started gently massaging her. "Do you want to try my drink?" She asked him as she handed it to him.

He took a sip of it and found he liked it.

Hinata looked out at the dance floor and saw some couples out there and after staring at them for a few moments she worked up her courage to ask him in a tentative voice. "Itachi, do you want to… dance with me?"

The lounge singer had just started singing a slow love song that she knew very well. He nodded and they stood up and he put his hand on her back as he guided her to the dance floor.

He put his arms around her shoulders as she put hers around his waist. They moved slowly to the music. Itachi knew she would be an excellent dancer after seeing her in the waterfall. She had a fluid grace about her that would make her a natural.

Hinata, loved the feel of his body close to hers. They fit so perfectly together as they swayed perfectly with the rhythm of the music.

They danced slowly together for a while and he was just about to ask her if she wanted to go back to the hotel when he sensed his brother again. He whispered in Hinata's ear. "Hinata we need to go, Sasuke is here."

Her eyes were wide as she looked up at him, still, she looked a little wistfully around the place as she allowed him to take her out one of the side doors.

* * *

Sasuke had met up with his team earlier. As usual, they were annoying the hell out of him. Karin was acting all slutty and trying to cling onto him. He finally told them to leave him alone and he would meet up with them in the morning.

He could feel his brother in this town and he would find him by himself. After walking around the town for most of the night, he came to a lounge and he slightly sensed his brother's presence inside. "Hn, I keep sensing him at the weirdest places_,_" he muttered to himself.

He slipped into the bar while a lounge singer was up on the stage singing some sappy love song. Since he was a little thirsty anyway he decided to sit for a bit and look around. He watched as a couple opened up the door and slipped outside, and then he couldn't sense his brother anymore.

"Damn it," he said out loud. Frustration began to overtake him and part of him wondered if he was losing his mind. His eyes scanned around and he knew his brother would never enter a place like this. He regretted not bringing Karin with him earlier, she would have found Itachi for sure.

A waitress came up to him and asked him what he wanted. She was smiling at him as he ordered a drink.

He had just sat back in the chair and was figuring out where he was going to look next, when he sensed a very familiar chakra.

He looked up a few tables away and saw a girl sit down. She had brown hair and he couldn't see her eye color. He activated his Sharingan and could gage she had a lot chakra.

It was Sakura – in disguise.

He looked over at her and watched as she turned just slightly in his direction. And knew it would be just a matter of time before she recognized him. It was then he decided to talk to her and see if he could glean some intel from her.

Silent as a snake he was beside her and his hand slid over her arm and clamped over her wrist. "Hello Sakura."

A stunned breath escaped her as she looked into his onyx eyes and swallowed nervously.

* * *

Itachi and Hinata returned to their hotel a little earlier than planned, he was growing tired of being stalked by his brother. Besides they decided to go for a little swim before turning into bed later.

Still a little nervous that someone would find them in town, Hinata checked diligently outside with her Byakugan. It didn't take her long to find the Hokage and Nana's chakra. They were at a club surrounded by a bunch of people. She also saw Shikamaru was nearby.

After looking around some more she found Sasuke and gasped. Standing very closely to him was Sakura. A shocked smile touched her lips when she could see the outlines of their chakra and could tell they were in each other's arms and were kissing.

_Oh, Sakura please be careful_, she thought to herself a little worried. After deactivating her Byakugan she turned to Itachi. "I found your brother."

He looked at her curiously.

"I don't think he will be bothering us tonight, he is with Sakura," she said with a blush sliding over her cheeks.

"Good, he better not hurt her," Itachi said and was glad that at least Sasuke wouldn't be bothering them anymore tonight. His eyes wandered over Hinata's partially nude body as she started putting on her swimsuit. They had the rest of the evening together and he meant to savor it.

**Author's Note:** I apologize for taking so long to update this story. It was one of the first ones I wrote and in many ways it shows. Anyway, I will try to cut and paste and rewrite a new chapter soon. This chapter goes out to everyone who has reminded me lately to post a new chapter. Thank you.


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